I started to play EQ2 when it first launched back in 2004 for at least 6 years. After time away from the game, if I returned would I still have to start the game at the existing zones again, or could I be able to start playing in the new expansion zones which appeared several years ago?
You would need to be a high enough level to play in any particular zone. Once you hit the needed level you would need at least minimal gear for that zone. Starting with the Plane of Magic (level 100) they put in a system of having a box of gear at the start of the zone so that anyone could have gear good enough to get going without needing to buy it or do older content to get it. Thus there are boxes in PoM (level 100), the Library (110), Luclin (also 110) and backside of Luclin (120). You do need to have the expansions - as you may recall in EQ2 unlike a few games if you get any expansion it includes all the earlier ones at least in terms of access to content (not necessarily all the extras). Leveling up from where you are, or from level 1 if you start over as I did when I returned, is not extremely lengthy if all you want is to get to new content not play through the content you missed. There are shortcuts like agnostic dungeons and cashing in collectibles. If you have been gone a long time you will find that whatever amount of platinum you had means little - things sell for incredibly high amounts by older standards - but similarly one can get huge amounts with even a level 1 character by harvesting or collecting shinies and selling.
I'd like to welcome you home. Dorotea covered everything, I add your old characters are all there waiting for you Check /claim and your character select window. They have added a free level up in character select and some /claim clickie baubles to level up new characters.
As Sunlei said there are many more things in /claim to help level faster. It took me a while to notice that I had 24 one hour 100% xp boosts where I used to have about six. You can test out a level 100 character for free - to keep it you do have to pay. The newer Free Trade server allows all new characters to start at level 95 but I very much recommend against going there. I like servers that aren't too crowded and I got some names I like so I created half a dozen characters there a few days ago. I logged in and saw 10 people on-line for the entire server. Plus any anonymous. That is too few even for me so I deleted half a dozen characters and moved on.
